Tag Archive for: weight training

Three Challenges

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This weekend is the last holiday of the summer or the first of the fall, depending on how you look at it. I’d like to challenge you to try three different tasks if they are not part of your regular routine. I’ve talked about high-intensity interval workouts a lot the past couple of months. I’m also going to be talking about weight training soon, and the change in weather is coming. Here are three challenges with limited explanations.

HIIT

No matter where your fitness level is now, you can increase your fitness level faster with HIIT than continuous training—that’s why I want you to try some form of interval workout at least once. It can be on any piece of aerobic workout equipment or none at all. The basic concept is to warm up, increase the pace or the resistance for 30 to 90 seconds and then back into easy pace for about 3 minutes. Then repeat the cycle 4 or 5 times. Try that twice this week. Stay within any limitations your physician has given you.

Deadlift

The deadlift is one of the most basic lifts in weight training. You begin with the barbell on the floor, and keeping your back straight, you lift the barbell until your knees lock. Then repeat. The heavier the weight you can lift, the more overall body strength you can gain. It involves the hands, buttock, thigh, calf, core, trapezius, lats, deltoids, and dozens of small core muscles.

Proceed with caution—you must protect your lower back! For some of you, it may be simply standing up from a chair with your hands hanging at your sides. It may also be standing on an exercise tube, feet a shoulders width apart, and standing up, upper body erect, while holding on to the tube. Light dumbbells. Heavy dumbbells. Barbell. Machine at your gym. The number of repetitions and sets are up to you. But as you do it, lift with your legs, not your back. Try it twice over the next week. Remember, respect your orthopedic limitations. This is an exercise for overall strength. It may take time to build up strength in your lower back, but we all have to start somewhere.

Flu Shot

Schedule and get your flu shot. Check to make sure you’re up to date on your tetanus shot as well. Get it done now.

I know some of you are not fans of vaccinations. I know that many people say, “The only time I got a flu shot, I got the flu.” Actually, that demonstrates how weak your immune system really was. We don’t get the flu shot not to get the flu; we get the flu shot to stimulate the immune system to get ready for other similar viruses. You still may get the flu or some other virus, but your immune system will be better able to handle it. It may end up being a milder case. I’ll be covering research on this in the near future. The challenge stands. Paula and I will be getting ours along with Riley and his mom.

I hope you enjoy the last holiday before Thanksgiving; I’ll be back in your inbox next week. Let’s see how you do on the three challenges I threw down before then.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Exercise Rules!

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The top sumo wrestlers weigh an average of 355 pounds. I watched a little wrestling when Konishiki, a Hawaiian sumo, was popular; he had been the heaviest sumo up to that time weighing over 600 pounds. The question is with weighing so much, are sumo wrestlers at risk for weight-related disease? It comes down to the visceral fat issue.

The sumos train for five or six hours first thing in the morning. Think about moving your body weight or more for that long every day. This isn’t just lifting weights—you’re trying to grab, hold on, and move 300 to 400 pounds for hours every day. The sumos have massive core, hip, thigh, and calf muscles. No doubt they have massive amounts of body fat, but most is subcutaneous fat. The visceral fat is much lower than the 300- to 400-pound North American obese individual and lower than those with comparable body fat.

What protects the sumo is the excessive exercise they get every day. True, they often eat 5,000–10,000 calories per day to gain weight, but they don’t suffer the same issues as sedentary people of the same weight.

The problem begins when they retire and no longer train. Due to their massive size, the risks of increasing visceral fat and disease accelerate. Unfortunately, many succumb to those diseases. The great Konishiki developed kidney failure within the past two years and required a kidney transplant. As of this writing, he’s still alive at 62.

The lesson for all of us is this: until we can lose the excess body fat, we have to stay as active as we can with regular exercise, especially weight training. Preventing the age-related loss of muscle due to sarcopenia and building as much muscle as we can through weight training and aerobic exercise can help reduce visceral fat. It’s not a permanent solution, but doing as much as we can to reduce the risk is significant. Until we can master the first two steps of eating less and eating better, moving more is critical. Exercise rules!

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Creatine and the Unasked Question

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If you read the article on creatine posted by the AMA, while as short as a sentence or two, the points were valid. Let me elaborate on a couple of the ones I think are most important.

Creatine Builds More than Muscle

The point they were making is that creatine may be beneficial to build muscle in those over 65, but that’s not all. I checked the study on the relationship between creatine intake and memory in persons 66 to 76; while it’s a meta-analysis and those can be potentially biased in the way studies are chosen for inclusion in the analysis, the data showed that memory was improved compared to a younger population.

The question is why? My personal opinion is that creatine may increase the production of energy in nerve cells in the brain, which can help learning and memory. There’s also the possibility that creatine may help increase the fluid content of brain tissue, thus making the cells work more effectively; we do tend to dehydrate more as we get older.

The second important point was that creatine is safe to use for nearly all of us, provided we don’t have chronic kidney conditions. While there have been a few small studies that have shown that even in people with diabetes-related kidney failure, creatine can be safely used, it’s best to work with a physician/specialist if you’re in that category of kidney disease. They can check creatinine levels to make sure kidney function isn’t being harmed. For the rest of us, using 3 to 5 grams of creatine every day seems to increase the benefits of muscle repair and growth with weight training.

The slight water retention and digestive issues mentioned are minor issues that typically resolve themselves when compared to the benefits creatine may generate. Just remind yourself that if your brain is retaining a little water, that’s a good thing!

The Unasked Question

What’s the question no one ever asks in nutrition studies? “How did you feel while you were taking the supplement?” Feelings can vary depending on the supplement: more energy, better sleep, fewer digestive issues, and on and on. I’m not talking about filling out questionnaires or taking tests. We’re all grown up enough to know that you may feel a little worse at first, but it usually goes away with time, so don’t get in a hurry to give up on creatine.

Simply, “How did you feel?” At the end of the day, that’s what’s really important to the person taking the supplement. Too often, because there are no real “hard science” tests for how a person feels, it’s not asked. We simply don’t know everything about how every food, every supplement, and every pharmaceutical impacts every tissue in every organ in the body. Sometimes, it’s just about how you feel day in, day out.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/9-things-patients-should-know-about-taking-creatine
2. Nutr Rev. 2023 Mar 10;81(4):416-427. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac064.

The AMA and Creatine

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After last week, you may be thinking I’m going to talk about another healthcare professional dissing supplements. I’m very pleased to say that’s not correct this time around. You can read the article by clicking here; I wouldn’t recommend listening to the audio version—seems like an AI voice to me.

The first thing that blew me away was the sponsorship: the American Medical Association. I’m not used to the AMA even acknowledging supplements exist except to caution patients to be very cautious using them. Great change.

According to the title, there are nine facts patients should know about creatine. I think the first was the most important: taking creatine in conjunction with a weight training program will increase muscle mass over time. I agree completely. The age range goes from 20 to 80; for people over 40 and facing a continual decline in muscle mass over time, that’s important information to know.

I’ll cover the rest on Saturday, including the question never asked in many studies on dietary supplements.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/9-things-patients-should-know-about-taking-creatine

Isometric Exercise Lowers Blood Pressure

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This summer has seen several studies about exercise, so we’ll just continue with the flow from last week. The first study caught me by surprise: isometric exercise lowers blood pressure. When you do isometric exercises, you increase tension in a muscle without moving the joint, such as holding your leg still while you clench your thigh muscles; if you’ve got a wall, a chair, and a floor, you’ve got all you need. We don’t think of isometric, also called static exercise, as being effective in changing the dynamic flow of blood in the cardiovascular system. Let’s take a look at the study.

Researchers conducted a literature search of all published studies that examined the impact of any type of exercise on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP.) They conducted a pairwise and network meta-analysis to see which exercise helped BP the most. The most important finding was that every form of exercise significantly reduced SBP and DBP when performed for two weeks and longer: aerobic exercise, dynamic resistance (weight) training, combined training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and isometric exercise.

When they compared the efficacy of the different forms, isometric exercise lowered SBP the most, followed, in order, by combined training, weight training, aerobic training, and HIIT.

To me, isometrics are somewhat easy to perform because it removes obstacles such as orthopedic issues or equipment. But why would it reduce blood pressure more than other modes of exercise? We’ll check that out on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: British J Sp Med Online July 2023. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106503

The Key to Building Muscle

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The mega meta-analysis I talked about on Tuesday found that every combination of resistance, sets, reps, and number of days per week resulted in increased strength and increased muscle size compared to people who did nothing, but there were some combinations that provided the best results.

Finding the Best Approach to Building Muscle

Without question, lifting multiple sets with heavy weights improved strength the most. Even just one day per week showed an improvement in strength, but the most consistent results were found with at least two weight training sessions per week. What was surprising was that two sessions per week of multiple sets with light weights also saw a significant improvement in strength.

When it came to muscle hypertrophy, or more simply put, muscle size, lifting light weights for multiple sets twice per week saw the same improvement as lifting heavy weights multiple sets twice per week. That seems a little odd but may be supported by another recently published study.

In a pilot study with 22 subjects, half the group was put on a low-resistance, high-repetition weight training program while the other half was put on a more traditional heavy weight training program with fewer repetitions. The low-weight, high-repetition group performed sets of 20 to 24 repetitions, while the heavy-resistance group did the more traditional eight to 12 repetitions per set. The results showed similar benefits. There was an increase in muscle strength and muscle size in both approaches. Also the mean age of the subjects was 59 years. That eliminates the “younger people are stronger to begin with” factor.

Volitional Exertion
The pilot study reveals the key: in both approaches, the subjects were trained to push themselves to voluntary or what’s termed in the business as “volitional exertion.” It doesn’t mean barely able to lift the weight without assistance—it means that it would be a challenge to do one more repetition. It wasn’t the weight; it was the effort.

The Bottom Line

Since I talked about the 3/7 weight training program in the last Super Bowl webinar, I’ve favored that approach the most in my recommendations. It would be the low-resistance, high-repetition, two days per week approach. It seems better for beginners because even a two-pound resistance will produce results as long as they go to volitional exertion.

The author of the Washington Post article got it wrong when she said it would be easy to add muscle; it still requires consistency and effort. But it’s easier because it can be done in the comfort of your own home. Now, if we can just get everyone to do that—but that’s a challenge for another day.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Br J Sports Med 2023;0:1–12. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-106807
2. Experimental Gerontology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2023.112219

Finding the Best Weight Training Program

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This year’s Super Bowl webinar on Aging with a Vengeance focused on muscle mass: hanging on to it or building it up if you’ve lost it, and how to make it happen. The fitness columnist for the Washington Post recently wrote an article on weight training that caught my attention, and I decided to take a closer look at the research behind her commentary about how easy weight training could be. There was one point that was glossed over. Let’s take a look at a recently published study that was the basis for her commentary.

Researchers decided to do what could best be described as a mega meta-analysis reviewing thousands of studies on weight training to see which type of program worked best to build strength and to increase muscle size. There were three main focal points: identify the best resistance (light, medium, or heavy weights), the best combination of sets and reps, and the number of days in a week necessary to accomplish the goals of size or strength. They found 192 studies that fit the profile for inclusion in the review. The results of their analysis were depicted in the graphs that are the graphic for this memo. Amazing.

The thickness of the lines indicates the number of studies that examined a specific type of weight training program; that gives us an indication of where the focus of research on weight training has been. In the results section, every combination of resistance, sets and reps, and days per week demonstrated some benefit. Then the researchers tried to tease out whether the use of light or heavy weight was better. I’ll talk about that on Saturday and also give you the key to determining the best weight training program.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Br J Sports Med 2023;0:1–12. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-106807

How to Gain Weight Without Magic Pills

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How many of you took the time to look up the phytonutrient I gave you in Tuesday’s Memo? If you did, you know that it was one of the many phytonutrients in one of my favorite herbs: echinacea. The company that manufactures the weight gain pill called CB-1 claimed one of the ingredients was tested in a clinical trials and helped increase calorie intake for up to two hours.

I searched PubMed for every ingredient on the label, and the only studies I could find showed that some phytonutrients help add finishing weight to cows. There were no human trials related to body weight. Most of the research, especially on the phytonutrients, was related to improving the immune function in humans and animals.

My guess is that the 24-page booklet accompanying the supplement explains how to eat to gain weight: it comes with the purchase of a one-month supply of the product for just $70 plus shipping. So that’s it: no real research and booklet on how to eat. Such a deal!

Gaining Weight

There are some people who really want to gain weight, such as teen athletes and endurance athletes or people who’ve lost too much weight due to illness. Then there are those rare people who’ve always been thinner than they want to be. You might think my response would be to eat more and move less, but no. That course of action may help you get fatter, but it probably won’t be healthy. And the extra pounds may not go where you’d like them to go; how many of us wish for a bigger belly?

Here is the simplest approach. I’ll preface this by saying that anyone who has helped people gain weight probably has a different view, but after 35 years as an exercise physiologist, here’s my approach.

  • Increase protein intake by 20 to 40 grams per day. You can use food such as cooked chicken breast with about 10 grams protein per ounce or canned tuna in water at seven grams per ounce. That’s what we did before there were all the protein powders available today. You can measure the powders precisely and mix them in a smoothie or with milk for even more protein.
  • Use 10 to 30 grams of branch-chain amino acids (BCAA) and/or essential amino acids (EAA) every day, preferably after exercise. EAAs contain the BCAAs as well, so it’s your preference; both have shown an increase in muscle mass and strength when used in combination with a weight training program.
  • Incorporate weight training into your exercise program. There are a hundred different training regimens using everything from exercise tubes to weight training machines. The approach you use depends on your age and fitness level, but if you want to gain weight, you want to increase muscle as well as adding some fat.

That’s it. You already know how to get results based on the recent Memos: be consistent, week in, week out.

The Bottom Line

The focus in health always seems to be on losing weight and with 70% of the population overweight, there’s a reason for that. But if you need to add some weight, the simplest solution is often the correct one. Reasonably increase protein intake together with some of the right amino acids and start a weight training program. No need for magic pills because it’s the effort that gets results.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Preventing Muscle Loss

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This final installment on muscle focuses on keeping the muscle mass you’ve got. That’s one of the keys to living every day you’re alive: the ability to move at every age. There are three things that are important to hanging onto muscle.

  • Use it or lose it. Actually, you’re going to lose it not matter what, but the degree to which you will is partially dependent on using it. Whenever you can take the stairs, take them. Whenever you can lift something, lift it. While I would hate it personally, it was better when we had to get up and actually walk to the television to change the channel. More today than ever, we don’t take the opportunity to build muscle or increase stamina.
  • Exercise regularly. No matter your age, there’s always something you can do. Orthopedic issues happen as we get older—arthritis in hands, shoulders, hips, and knees, or torn ligaments and cartilages. They can all put limitations on what we can do. We have to work within those restrictions and do as much as we can to maintain and even increase what we have. A session with an excellent physical therapist (ask your doctor if you qualify for some free sessions) or certified personal trainer could be worth the money. It’s never too late to begin. Research has shown that even people over 100 years old can increase strength and stamina.
  • Consider taking essential amino acids every day. While the focus has been on what EAAs can do for people who train hard, the bulk of the research has been done on people 50 and older. It’s clear you can slow down muscle loss and increase muscle strength by exercising regularly and taking EAAs every day. I’ve been taking them the days I lift, but I’m considering taking them every day. In continuing to research the benefits, there doesn’t seem to be a downside to taking EAAs. There’s some preliminary research that indicates that taking EAAs may even be beneficial for pre-diabetics to reduce insulin levels and triglycerides if they exercise regularly as well.

The purpose for the month’s Memos is showing you how to learn to live every day you’re alive. Muscle is critical to that goal. We’ll move on to another important physical component of living next week.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Skeletal Muscle: Strength

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This week, we’re turning our attention to skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle allows us to move and to lift ourselves and other objects. The two primary features are strength and stamina. Let’s begin with strength.

A simple definition of strength is the most weight you could lift once. That could be as little as a couple of pounds, or it could be as much a thousand pounds as some weight lifters have done. To me, as a minimum, strength is the ability to be able to do everyday tasks. We’ll start with the most fundamental, which would be sitting down in a chair or on a commode and then having enough leg strength to stand up. It would be enough to be able to lift a bag of groceries. To lift a hammer to hit a nail. To hold a hair dryer over your head while you do your hair. You can probably think of a few more.

Years ago, I mentioned to my mother-in-law that most women over 65 can’t lift 10 pounds. We lose strength as we age. She had just gotten back from grocery shopping and she picked up a 10-pound sack of flour. She began lifting it up over her head and back down to her lap and said, “Look Chet, I can do that!” She was in her mid-seventies at the time.

Strength can vary by body joints. With two torn biceps, I don’t have nearly the strength in my arms and shoulders as I used to, but I still have pretty good leg strength and pretty good back strength; my exercise routine includes strength training for all those areas.

How do you increase strength? Challenge the muscles to lift more weight than you currently can for any different set of muscles: your shoulders, your arms, your quads, your calves, and of course, there’s your core. I’ll save that for later in the month. Next time, we’ll take a look at muscular stamina.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet